Hilltop happiness - Experience views

They are the mountains of the Ruhr area: the slag heaps! Originating from the overburden of coal mining and the remnants of the steel industry, they were a dead space for a long time. But they have been renatured, and many of them have been crowned by artists with distinctive landmarks, becoming small landmarks of the Ruhr area. Wide panoramic views and extraordinary photo motifs – a slag heap simply belongs to a visit to the Ruhr area. The RevierRoute "Haldenglück" leads to several slag heaps over a length of 39 kilometers.

The starting point
As a tour route, this RevierRoute starts directly at the main train station in Essen. This makes the tour ideally connected to long-distance and regional traffic. A bike station is located directly at the main train station. By car, it is recommended to park a bit further outside the city center or to start the tour at the UNESCO World Heritage Zollverein.

Start of the tour
From the main train station, the tour initially leads directly through the city center of Essen towards the north. From junction 57 in the university district, the route then runs along smaller city streets and past an allotment garden colony towards the UNESCO World Heritage Zollverein.

Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in Essen
Over 12,000 tons of coal were mined here daily at the peak of the mine. What many do not know: about the same amount of rock material was also extracted. In the coal washing plant, the coal was separated from the rock. Today, the Ruhr Museum is located in the coal washing plant. Here you can learn a lot about the history of the Ruhr area – including the slag heaps. A very worthwhile visit to start the tour.

Via railway tracks to the first slag heap
Already on the premises of Zollverein, there is a first slag heap, but it cannot be climbed by bike. The RevierRoute then leads away from the mining area towards the east via Zollvereinweg and later via the Kray-Wanner railway. Cyclists pass by the shaft installations of Zollverein 3/7/10 and Bonifacius.

The "Heaven's Stairs" on the Rheinelbe Slag Heap
The first slag heap to be climbed on this RevierRoute is the Rheinelbe slag heap. During the ascent, cyclists pass by exhibits of the sculpture forest by the artist Herman Prigann. The "Heaven's Stairs" on the summit of the slag heap, often also referred to as the "Stairway to Heaven," is the main artwork. From the top, a beautiful panorama opens up over the western Ruhr area. The Rheinelbe slag heap is one of the few burning slag heaps. Temperatures of up to 400 degrees Celsius have been measured in it, which can arise due to high pressure, oxygen, and heat accumulation, and are regularly monitored for safety. This is not dangerous for cyclists, as they hardly notice anything on the surface.

The Pluto Slag Heap
The tour continues along the Kray-Wanner railway to the popular cyclist meeting point Erzbahnbude. From here, the RevierRoute now runs in a northerly direction via the Erzbahntrasse. Just before the Rhine-Herne Canal, a short detour to the Pluto slag heap branches off to the right. The viewing platform is quickly reached. The panoramic view immediately falls on several mining towers, from the nearby Pluto mine to the Unser Fritz and Ewald mines in the north, and towards the Consol mine in a westerly direction.

The largest slag heap landscape in Europe
At the end of the Erzbahntrasse, you cross the beautiful "Grimberger Sichel" bridge over the Rhine-Herne Canal. From here, the RevierRoute leads through the Emscherbruch to the Ewald mine. Here, cyclists can expect two great slag heaps, which together form the largest slag heap landscape in Europe as the Hoheward Landscape Park: the Hoppenbruch slag heap and the Hoheward slag heap.

A paradise for enduro bikers
The Hoppenbruch slag heap is especially known for its legal network of enduro tours for mountain bikers. But even with a trekking bike, it is worth the climb to the summit of the slag heap, which is crowned with a modern wind turbine. A beautiful view of the neighboring Hoheward slag heap reveals the size of the slag heap landscape.

The Sundial and the Horizon Observatory
It is probably the queen of the slag heaps: the mighty Hoheward slag heap with its two slag heap plateaus, on which a sundial and the distinctive arches of the Horizon Observatory stand. Unfortunately, the arches, which can be seen from almost anywhere in the Ruhr area, have to be supported by steel struts due to a lack of trees. Nevertheless, the Hoheward slag heap is a majestic place with an extraordinary panoramic view that far surpasses the hardships of the strenuous ascent.

The final stage
From the Hoheward slag heap, the tour continues via the Avenue of Change and another railway track to Recklinghausen. From the train station, it is a good return journey to the starting point at Essen main train station.